The same sort of big thinking prevailed on the non-Watcher's Council side of the competition, with Acute Politic's Dead Eyesand Dean Barnett's (at Hugh Hewitt) Iraq the Modelrunning away from the competition.

Either of these two, indeed any of the point-getting posts, which you can find here, are worth your reading, but if you only read one blog post today, skedaddle over to Acute Politics and read Dead Eyes. It's an amazing piece, written by a tired soldier in Iraq, contrasting the emotional exhaustion of the old-timers against the shocked fear of the newcomers. It's a moving and significant piece, a very fine example of soldier journalism.

"Thank you for the "Voice of the Victims films. The students really liked them, and it means so much to them to hear real stories and not watch a cheesy drama like so many other videos."
— High school teacher.